Blacksburg Transit (BT), through the Commonwealth of Virginia, has exercised an option with New Flyer of America Inc. for four Xcelsior® clean diesel, 60-foot heavy-duty transit buses. The order is part of a state schedule and options are not recorded in the backlog.
“We are proud to once again provide the buses that BT needs to move both citizens, and students at Virginia Tech, throughout the community,” said Wayne Joseph, president, New Flyer of America. “As a hub for innovation, Virginia Tech strongly aligns with New Flyer’s vision to advance bus technology in America. The new Xcelsior buses for BT are fully accessible and feature American innovation in motion, to better serve passengers in Southwest Virginia.”
The purchase, which executes on planned fleet expansion and replacement initiatives, was supported by a combination of state and federal funding. Virginia’s Smart Scale program provided a significant portion of funding for this project. Established by the 2014 General Assembly, Smart Scale scores transportation projects based on an objective, outcome-based process that is transparent to the public and allows decision makers to be held accountable to taxpayers. Once projects are scored and prioritized, the Commonwealth Transportation Board has the best information possible to select the right projects for funding.
BT provides public transportation for Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, Christiansburg, and portions of Montgomery County. Over 3.7 million customers use BT’s services each year, making it the fifth highest ridership bus system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are 68 vehicles in the fleet, varying in size from vans to 60-foot long articulated transit buses.
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In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
Originally introduced in 2023 as the Bus Line Redesign, the effort has evolved into a more targeted update that maintains familiar routes while improving reliability, frequency, evening and weekend service, and connections across Allegheny County.
S3 will connect communities along SR 522 with fast, reliable, battery-electric bus service from Shoreline South Station to Bothell via Kenmore and Lake Forest Park.
The configuration uses Ster Seating's Gemini seat platform to create a family-friendly floor layout specifically engineered to accommodate parents traveling with young children.
